Campaign of the Month:
July 2013

Shadows Over New York

Yankee Stadium

Face: Sheila Gomez

Sheila is the Facility Manager of Yankee Stadium and secretary of the Watcher’s Council. She is privvy to the Council’s secrets and is the confidant of the Council Head. Unknown to the council, she herself is an immortal.

Themes & Threats

Theme: Secret Meeting Place of The Watcher’s Council

Aspect: Yankees Rule! (Only when a Yankees game is occurring)

Aspect: Somebody’s Watching Me

Description:
Yankee Stadium is the home ballpark for the New York Yankees, one of the city’s Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises. It opened during the 2009 MLB season as a replacement for the team’s previous home, the original Yankee Stadium, which opened in 1923 and closed in 2008. The new ballpark was constructed across the street, north-northeast of the 1923 Yankee Stadium, on the former site of Macombs Dam Park. The ballpark opened April 2, 2009, when the Yankees hosted a workout day in front of fans from the Bronx community. The first game at the new Yankee Stadium was a pre-season exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs played on April 3, 2009, which the Yankees won 7–4. The first regular season game was played on April 16, a 10–2 Yankee loss to the Cleveland Indians.

Much of the stadium incorporates design elements from the previous Yankee Stadium, paying homage to the Yankees’ history. Although stadium construction began in August 2006, the project of building a new stadium for the Yankees is one that spanned many years and faced many controversies. The stadium was built on what had been 24 acres (97,000 m2) of public parkland. Replacement ballfields opened in April 2012. Also controversial was the price tag of $1.5 billion, which makes it not only the most expensive baseball stadium ever built, but the third most expensive stadium of any kind (after Wembley Stadium in London and MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey).

Unbeknownst to anyone outside of The Watcher’s Council, George Steinbrenner, owner of the Yankees, and the man behind the new stadium’s construction, was a member of The Wacther’s Council for his entire adult life, and it’s head for the past 20 years, until his death in 2010 (his position as head of the council was succeeded by his daughter, Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal). When the plans for Yankee Stadium were proposed, a secret underground facility, beneath the Ballpark, was also included, for the training of Slayers and the Wacthers Special Forces, meeting of the Council, Libraries, storage vaults for items deemed dangerous, and holding facilities for prisoners. Also included are several secret entrance and exit points into and out of the facility utilizing the City’s subway and sewage systems.